Too afraid to live, feel, love die
by Fearless Shadow
Summary: Dorothy is sent on a mission to kill Quatre. But she saves him, claiming that she loves him knowing that it could very well mean her demise... ~##chapter 3 at your fingertips##~
1. Default Chapter

1 Too afraid to feel, too afraid to love, too afraid to die… Too afraid to live  
  
  
  
A/N: Quatre's father is alive in this by the way, but I don't think that he'll be playing a big part in it though. He just needs to be there for this fic to work. K? Bye!  
  
~*~*~  
  
  
  
"But isn't there any way we can do this without hurting him?"  
  
"No! Just do it! How *dare* you question my orders? People will start to think you're becoming more and more sentimental!"  
  
"No! I'm not... really!"  
  
"What then?" She asked coldly.  
  
"I... I'm just tired of killing. Taking innocent lives. I'm scared of actually having a conscience!"  
  
"Well my sweet, you can rest assured that this is no innocent life!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Duo! What a great surprise! I thought you were on colony L2 with… Heero…"  
  
"Well yeah, I was, " Duo replied hastily.  
  
Quatre glared at him.  
  
"What??? I left him a note! He was being a total asshole anyway."  
  
"That bad, eh?"  
  
"Yeah. Just last week Relena threw him out of her room at four in the freaking morning! Work's really getting to him. That's why I came on my own. I did actually ask him if he wanted to join me, but he told me to get lost and chucked me out of our hotel room!"  
  
"Oh, poor Heero," said Quatre, genuinely concerned for his friend that he hadn't seen for so long.  
  
"Whatever, I came here to see you." Said Duo; as if it was better that Heero hadn't come to spoil everything anyway.  
  
"Oh, yes! Come in, come in, sorry... daydreaming..." Quatre apologized, stepping back to let Duo into his home.  
  
Duo entered the Winners' gigantic mansion, gaping at its size and beauty.  
  
"Man, even though I've already been here about ten times, I'm still astounded by its size!"  
  
Quatre smiled politely.  
  
"No offence Duo," he suddenly burst out, unable to contain himself, "but you probably didn't come all this way just to complain about Heero and talk about how big this place is."  
  
Duo shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. "Yeah... you're right... LET'S EAT!"  
  
Quatre burst out laughing.  
  
"Man, Duo, you sure haven't changed a bit!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Aaah, Duo?" Asked Quatre tentatively.  
  
"Hm?" he replied, munching on a chicken bone happily just like a child.  
  
"Not that I mind, but that is your seventh helping of Chicken with coke!"  
  
"A man's gotta eat buddy!"  
  
Quatre nodded.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Yeah?" He answered absently.  
  
"Erm. . . is there going to be bad news sometime after you've finished stuffing your face?"  
  
Duo nearly fell off his chair, but managed to balance it at the last second.  
  
"What? Why would there be bad news? Theresnobadnews!" He said very quickly.  
  
"Hm." Mumbled Quatre unable to find a suitable answer.  
  
"Ya know what? Suddenly, I'm not feeling so hungry any more." He said, pushing the half finished plate of chicken away from himself, and gulping down the last few drops of coke left in his glass.  
  
"Okay, spill, what the hell is going on?" Said Quatre angrily. Why did everyone treat him like a child? For heavens sake, he was nearly twenty- one!  
  
Duo sighed.  
  
"This ain't gonna be easy."  
  
"Please, I want to know!" Quatre practically begged.  
  
"Okay, here goes... a terrorist group is out to kick your ass."  
  
Quatre stared at him as though he had just said that he was pregnant or something, unable to believe such a 'rumour'.  
  
"As if." He muttered, but Duo didn't seem to hear him.  
  
"We don't know where they will be going to... to... capture you..."  
  
"Who's we?" interrupted Quatre suddenly.  
  
"Sorry, can't say."  
  
"Why? Who is it, FBI? CIA? MIB?" Quatre almost laughed at himself for that last suggestion.  
  
"We're not going after aliens Quatre, at least I hope not..." he chuckled nervously to himself.  
  
"It's the CIA I work for." He added quietly. Quatre thought that made sense – Duo *was* American after all.  
  
He had never seen his lively friend so serious. Why, the last time Duo had actually called him by his name was when he had taken a bullet for him in a raid last year and was about to die, begging to get to a hospital quickly.  
  
Quatre shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"Quatre? Earth to Quatre? Hello?"  
  
"Huh? Oh! Sorry, yeah I'm all ears."  
  
Duo glared at him for a second but then thought nothing of it and continued.  
  
"Like I was saying, I think that you should go back to earth and stay low at Relena's house for a while. Those scumbags are surely going to come looking for you here first, so we have to protect you. Okay, buddy?"  
  
"Yes, I understand." He replied in monotone, obviously preoccupied.  
  
"Good, good. We leave tomorrow by the way. So you should have your going away parties blah blah blah tonight or something."  
  
"Yeah, sure." Said Quatre absently. He was seriously confused. Why would any body want to murder him? He was practically a nobody.  
  
"Actually… maybe you shouldn't have a party. Must keep a low profile and everything…" Duo suddenly muttered more to himself then anyone else.  
  
"Why me?" Quatre finally asked, seemingly unaware by what Duo had just said.  
  
"Well... they want your dad's company if truth be told." Duo told him. Quatre frowned… that made a little sense, but he knew his dad wouldn't give up his company just to pay ransom if Quatre was kidnapped.  
  
"Then what has that got to do with me?"  
  
"Because if your father died or decided to retire, then the whole company would be handed over to you. And with you out of the way, they could bribe him before hand, to hand over the company to them without anybody getting suspicious as to why he didn't give it to his only son. His successor. His heir. His direct descendant. His –"  
  
"I get the point."  
  
He paused.  
  
"I have soooo given out waaayy to much info here, you didn't hear it from me dude!" He added, his eyes darting over to the window, then door, and then back as though someone was watching.  
  
"Yes, okay. Thank you very much for telling me Duo."  
  
He nodded, and looked into Quatre's eyes properly for the first time in years.  
  
"Quatre?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are you going to be okay with this? I mean, if there's anything you need, you need not hesitate to ask."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine! Really. Thank you very much once again. Oh, and there's some more chicken in the fridge if you would like some."  
  
Duo's face lit up into a huge grin.  
  
"Excellent!" He said rubbing his hands together and licking his lips.  
  
* * *  
  
I'm not actually good at writing stories with Quatre and Dorothy couplings but hey, I just thought I should give it a shot. Please review!!! Cheers! ^- ^ 


	2. What's the matter with Duo?

"Relena! How are you?" Quatre greeted his friend as he landed at the Sanq Kingdom airport.  
  
"Quatre, is it really you? It's been so long!" She exclaimed as she ran up to him, and embraced him. Quatre was reminded of the time he came here with Heero during the war – how Relena had met them there then as well.  
  
"Relena?" Duo finally interrupted, as he seemed to come out of no-where.  
  
"Duo! Hello! How are you? How's Hilde?" the enthusiastic Peacecraft chirped.  
  
"Hey Relena, we're all fine! Thanks." His voice sounded more weary than usual – as though he had just found out that he only had a few weeks to live.  
  
This was very unsettling for Relena, for she had never seen Duo like this. 'Something must be seriously wrong', she thought to herself miserably, Duo's mood putting a damper on her chirpiness. She had a feeling that the happiness around her wouldn't last much longer. Nothing to do with the former Gundam Pilots retained its 'Happy' factor for long anyway. It was like a plague following them wherever they went. It was nothing that she could change… although she wished she could, for her friends' sake… for Heero's sake too.  
  
"I was just wandering if Quatre could stay here for a while… "  
  
Duo spoke between yawns, and Relena wanted to ask him how much sleep he was getting, but Quatre interrupted, "If that's not too much bother for you, of course."  
  
"No! No, of course not!" Relena assured him, turning her attention back to Duo… he really looked tired. And frightened. Not at all like his usual overtly cheerful self. Even though she knew that what was going on was probably the cause, it distressed her to see her friend like this.  
  
"Relena, you have to be careful. You do understand the consequences, and the danger you could be in, as I explained last week, don't you?" Asked Duo, feeling that Relena was taking this far too lightly, and not understanding that she could be killed if she, and he knew she would, got in the way of the enemy killing Quatre. Or even if they found out in any way that she helped him escape or, or...  
  
Duo's mind was reeling… why was he thinking so negatively? He knew she would try and protect Quatre, and she obviously could look after herself. There was nothing to worry about... nothing... as long as he and Heero were with Relena, helping her as much as they could, nothing could possibly happen to her. 'Yeah, yeah, you just keep telling yourself that kid, and one day you might believe it,' said a small voice in his ear. He sighed.  
  
Relena looked up and smiled at him, "I understand Duo. I just don't think we should let all this get in the way of our lives. It's going to change a lot, but we've got to stay happy, right? I know how serious this is…"  
  
"That's good. I'm glad." Duo smiled his first – very tired, but also relieved – smile in days, "Look after yourself Relena… and expect anything okay?" He suddenly added. After all, she should be prepared. "Sorry for having to put this on your shoulders as well."  
  
"It's okay. Really, anything for friends." She replied, trying to reassure Duo as much as she could, and calm him down. And get him to focus.  
  
Duo just nodded absently.  
  
"Would you like to stay for dinner, Duo?" She asked, trying to catch his eye.  
  
"Sorry Relena. I can't. I must go and speak with Heero."  
  
Relena's face paled at the mention of Heero's name.  
  
"What? Is he okay?" She asked, flustered. "And um... are you okay? I've never known you to turn down dinner before." She added, trying to cover up her panicked expression, and any thought of feelings for Heero. She was only really worried because he had had an accident on his last mission, and fractured his gun arm.  
  
"Yeah, yeah of course. We're both fine. Business… that's all." Duo wanted to make sure Relena didn't worry – her cover-up routine wasn't fooling anyone.  
  
He finally met her eyes, but she looked away, embarrassed. She knew he knew. "CIA pestering you guys again?" she covered up.  
  
Duo nodded sombrely. She was right, his boss had been making him and Heero work overtime in fear that Quatre would be captured, and since the pair knew him so well, they were the first ones picked for the job of his protection.  
  
The Winners' company was too significant to be treated lightly in the circumstances. Plus, they gave the CIA considerable amounts of money for experiments with new gadgets and things. It was the least they could do.  
  
"Duo, you know I would try and help you if I had any power over them, but the only thing they come to me for is legal advice, financial problems, problems with other countries and things like that. They wouldn't actually listen to me even though I was once the queen of the world. Vice foreign ministers haven't got a high enough authority for them." Relena sighed.  
  
Duo could do nothing but nod once more, and feel guilty for depressing Relena. Of all the people that Duo knew, Relena was the kindest along with Quatre. His heart broke at the thought of something happening to one of his dearest friends.  
  
He shouldn't have asked her in the first place… she didn't deserve this… maybe that was why Heero hadn't come… because he didn't agree with Duo's idea about including Relena in all this… but it was too late to back out now, there was nothing else to do for Quatre on such short notice.  
  
"Thank you ever so much Relena. You've done more for me, and Heero, than anyone ever has. I'll never expect anything from you like that anyway. You've already got so much to do! It doesn't matter."  
  
Relena blushed slightly at Duo's obviously sincere praise. "Anyway, I really gotta get going. Thanks once more for everything. Farewell."  
  
He smiled, and then left, walking hastily down the spiralling path that led out of the kingdom.  
  
Relena watched him depart, still concerned for his well being. (And a little freaked out – after all, he *had* said 'Farewell'. Since when did he say 'Farewell'?) What was so wrong? He was usually so lively, and happy. She hadn't actually seen him laugh once since he had been there, and Relena knew, the chances of that actually happening were like her becoming a professional sumo wrestler.  
  
And obviously that would never happen. There was definitely something wrong in the world at the moment.  
  
~-~-~  
  
Yeah yeah, go review!. Please? 


	3. No, Dorothy would never do something lik...

" The plan is going perfectly. Our subject is, as planned gone to Miss Peacecrafts mansion. Do those idiot CIA agents think we're daft?"

"No! Of course we're not daft!" Dorothy replied shakily.

"Are you ready to proceed with operation kill puny winnder-2?" She said, in an attempt to make a joke.

There was a pause.

"Erm… yes. Yes, of course."

"Well. That's great! You're leaving tomorrow morning!"

"What?!" Dorothy cried, outraged. Obviously she didn't really have any say in the matter. Everything had been planned before hand.

*  *  *

A black Mercedes drove unnaturally quietly down the highway on the way to the Peacecrafts mansions, and finally arrived about an hour later outside the big silver gates.

The door opened and out stepped a girl, around 19 years old, with long blond hair, wearing a purple silk dress which fitted her form perfectly.

"Call if you need anything ma'am." Said her driver in a hoarse voice and swiftly got back into the limo and drove away.

She nodded to herself and turned around and was greeted by a guard wearing an immaculate 3 piece white suit. Relena always did like to be different.

She smiled.

"Miss? May I please take your name and business here?"

"My name is Dorothy Catalonia, and I am here to see Miss Peacecraft just for a 'casual' visit."

"Great, and how long will you be staying for Miss Catalonia?"

"As long as it takes," She replied enigmatically.

The guard stared at her strangely for a minute, but then signalled for another man she hadn't noticed up until now to open the gates.

The man she had been talking to bowed shortly and signalled that she could enter.

"Finally," She muttered once she was away from the guards, walking delicately down the long path that spiralled up to the large oak doors of the mansion.

*  *  *

"Dorothy!" Cried Relena in surprise, and hugged her old friend a little awkwardly.

"Hello, Relena," Dorothy finally managed to say, feeling guiltier by the second at how she was going to betray such a great friend. Was all this worth it just for that stupid 'master' of hers?

Relena closed the door and they began walking to the large living room, Relena talking about all the things that Dorothy had missed while she was away on 'business'.

*  *  *

"So, Dorothy, how long are you staying for? There are a lot of beautiful sites around here I would love to show you." 

"Well, I was actually thinking of staying for around 3 weeks… if that's okay with you that is…"

Relena paused for a moment. She hadn't anticipated that Dorothy would be staying this long… but what about Quatre? He couldn't hide from Dorothy for that long… not that she didn't trust Dorothy or anything… but… she quickly shook her head. Why was she thinking like this? Dorothy would never do any like **that**.

"Relena? Are you okay?"

"Yes! Of course! So, three weeks! That gives you loads of time to see the sites!" Best spend as much time outside as she could.

Dorothy smiled.

Relena abruptly stiffened. What was that noise? Someone coming down the stairs? It was unbelievable that in such a big house you could actually hear someone coming down the stairs, but that's how silent everyone was. She just remembered that no one had told Quatre about Dorothy's arrival! Her heart nearly stopped. Now, if anything happened to Quatre, she would be responsible! But no, it could always be one of her helpers. She didn't like calling such nice people servants. They didn't deserve such titles; after all, her and her brother wouldn't have taken in just any person into their home. They needed to be reasonably educated, and people they could trust.

Quatre entering the room suddenly interrupted her trail of thought. 'Oh no!' She thought. It looked like he was about to double back, but once Dorothy caught sight of him, he couldn't help but come in. He could never be rude.

Oh well, it wouldn't matter, because if she knew Dorothy as well as she thought she did, then she **knew** that Dorothy would never tell anyone that Quatre was here. Well, she had to reassure herself this anyway.

Dorothy stood up to greet Quatre. Relena followed.

"Quatre! What a nice surprise to see you here!"

"Dorothy! It's been a long time!" He looked reluctant when Dorothy came over to hug him, but thought better of it and hugged her back. 

He looked pleadingly at Relena, and she could do nothing but shrug. She didn't plan on Dorothy coming here, if she had, then she would have asked Dorothy to come a few weeks later.

"Poor Relena! We've invaded her whole house! She'll have no privacy now!"

"No! Don't worry about it! We have twenty-five guestrooms! It's a pleasure having you guys here."

They all sat down, and began talking about… well, something. Relena found that she couldn't listen. She was too busy thinking about how much she had betrayed Quatre. He would never trust her again. And she couldn't help but notice how more flustered than usual Dorothy seemed to be… hmm… was there something going on between them? But then quickly shook her head. No… Dorothy and Quatre? Ugh. To weird to even think about. 

But what about her and Heero? They were probably even weirder in everyone else's eyes. She grinned, busying herself in her own thoughts… wondering when this day would finally be over, and finally get a chance to talk to Quatre in private and explain the whole situation.


End file.
